


Investigation: Ghost System

by EternalLibrary



Category: Imperial Radch Series - Ann Leckie
Genre: Ghost Hunters, Republic of Two Systems Independence Day Exchange, Ro2SID Exchange 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:27:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23533042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EternalLibrary/pseuds/EternalLibrary
Summary: New from Two Systems Public Broadcasting, Athoek Station and Mercy of Kalr Present: Investigation: Ghost System. An investigative entertainment exploring what'sreallyin the Ghost System.
Comments: 12
Kudos: 22
Collections: Republic of Two Systems Independence Day Exchange 2020





	Investigation: Ghost System

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kes/gifts).



> For the Republic of Two Systems Independence Day Exchange, for kesbeacon who's prompt was: "There really ARE ghosts in the ghost system". I hope you enjoy, and happy Ro2S Independence Day!

INT: Lieutenant TISARWAT’s office, the Undergarden. ZEIAT and Tisarwat face the viewer. Zeiat’s hands are folded primly in front of her, white translator’s uniform spotless but for a single memorial. She smiles serenely. Tisarwat looks harried; she fusses with some papers on her desk.

ZEIAT

The Lieutenant tells me there are _ghosts_ in the Ghost System.

TISARWAT

 _[mumbled]_ Do we have to do this.

BO NINE _[off camera]_

Enunciate, Sir!

TISARWAT

 _[Clearer]_ I _only_ said that Piat said that she overheard a Sword of Atagaris officer saying that Sphene isn’t the only thing in the ghost system.

INT: Tea Shop. PIAT sits alone at a table, bowl of tea in front of her, looking vaguely nonplussed.

ZEIAT _[off camera]_

 _[Encouragingly]_ Just tell our viewers what you told the Lieutenant!

PIAT

Er.

_[She seems unsure whether to address Ziat or the camera directly]_

PIAT _[cont.]_

Well. I just – it was a while ago before… _[gestures]_ but I was in a noodle shop and the Atagaris officer was talking to the proprietor – kind of flirting really, trying to seem all worldly and important. _[nervous giggle]_ But she was talking about – well, everyone knows the stories about the Ghost System but she said… She said Sword of Atagaris had _seen_ a ghost.

INT: Tisarwat’s Office. As before but Lieutenant SEIVARDEN is now there as well.

SEIVARDEN

Well, Piat said that was all before we knew about Sphene, it could have just been one of its ancillaries, right?

TISARWAT

 _[miserable]_ That’s what I said.

INT: An Athoek Station corridor. The camera follows Zeiat and Tisarwat, who chase after a SWORD OF ATAGARIS OFFICER.

ZEIAT

Lieutenant! A word please!

SWORD OF ATAGARIS LIEUTEANT

_[Spins around and glares at Zeiat and Tisarwat, before glancing skeptically at the camera]_

What is going on here?

ZEIAT

We just have some questions about your claims of seeing a ghost in the ghost system.

TISARWAT

Did you just mean Sphene?

ATAGARIS LIEUTENANT

How did you even hear about that? No, I didn’t mean Sphene. We’ve known about Sphene for years. I know it sounds ridiculous but I also know what I saw.

INT: Tisarwat’s office. The Atagris Lieutenant sits alone behind the desk, addressing someone to the right of the camera.

ATAGARIS LIEUTENANT

It was a year or so ago now – Captain Hetnys was on Athoek Station at the time, so I was in command of _Sword of Atagaris._ We had a scheduled drop…

_[she pauses uncomfortably]_

Well, we were supposed to drop off some suspension pods for Sphene. We usually leave them just outside the gate, I don’t know how Sphene gets – got – them but this time I received a message from Sphene. It asked us to come _through_ the gate, it said it was having issues with its shuttle and didn’t know when it would be able to make the pickup so if we could leave the suspension pods in the Ghost System it would pick them up when it could.

TISARWAT _[off camera]_

Had it ever asked you to do this before?

ATAGARIS LIEUTENANT

No. But I thought – well, it all seemed so reasonable at the time. I sent word to Captain Hetnys and she gave the go-ahead…

When we got to the other side of the ghost gate, there was no-one there – not that I’d been expecting anything, I knew Sphene was alone there, but… Well, Sphene didn’t say anything else, so we couldn’t even get an idea of where it was, and it was just kind of…spooky, being in a whole system that was just…empty.

ZEIAT

_[jumping onto camera, clearly unable to contain herself]_

And _that’s_ when you saw the ghost!

ATAGARIS LIEUTENANT

Not quite. We left the suspension pods, but a beacon on them so Sphene could find them and got ready to gate back to Athoek System. Then we received a message. It was unclear, as though the signal had been corrupted, and I wondered if it was Sphene.

Ship said, though, that it didn’t have the same metadata that Sphene’s communications did. It said that it couldn’t tell where the message was coming from, there was no information in the signal.

I opened up a channel, asked whoever it was to repeat.

_[she stops, takes a breath. Zeiat nods encouragingly at her]_

ATAGARIS LIEUTENANT _[cont.]_

There was a moment, and then the message came again, clearer. It said, “ _Give me back my dishes._ ”

INT: FLEET CAPTAIN BREQ’s quarters in the Undergarden. KALR FIVE sits across from Tisarwat and Zeiat. All three have tea bowls in front of them, though Zeiat’s appears to be filled with something more viscous and oily than tea…

FIVE

I’m afraid I still don’t understand, Sir…

TISARWAT

 _[sighs]_ I’ll let the Translator explain.

ZEIAT

It’s perfectly simple! We need a Dish Expert to assist with our investigation.

FIVE

A…dish expert.

ZEIAT

Yes!

FIVE

And you’re investigating…

TISARWAT

 _[another, bigger sigh]_ A possible dish-obsessed ghost in the Ghost System.

FIVE

_[after a long pause]_

Does Fleet Captain know about this?

INT: Tisarwat’s office. Zeiat, Tisarwat and Seivarden sit as before. Tisarwat appears exhausted, while Zeiat and Seivarden are engaged in excited dialogue.

SEIVARDEN

 _Yes_ I _understand_ that the message was clearly talking about the Notai tea set, what I’m _saying_ is that it’s most likely that the message was from Sphene itself.

ZEIAT

But the lack of any identifying features! The seeming lack of any provenance for the message! How could Sphene have done that?

_[as she is talking, Tisarwat’s fingers twitch as though she’s sending a message]_

SEIVARDEN

There are any number of techniques that may be used to hide the origin of communications, Translator.

ZEIAT

But Lieutenant, it doesn’t make sense for Sphene to have sent that message, it had already sold the tea set to Captain Hetnys.

SEIVARDEN

Maybe it changed its mind!

ZEIAT

I can’t pretend to understand how ships operate, but I do believe that Sphene has possessed the same AI core in all the time it has been in the Ghost System.

SEIVARDEN

_[throwing her hands up and narrowly avoiding knocking over a tea flask]_

That’s not what – I mean maybe it decided it wanted the tea set back!

Sphene _[off camera]_

I didn’t.

_[A SPHENE ANCILLARY enters from the right, and sits on top of Tisarwat’s desk. It is becoming very crowded in the office]_

ZEIAT

Sphene! We were just talking about you.

SPHENE

Indeed. The Lieutenant _[it nods towards Tisarwat]_ thought I could help clear this up.

TISARWAT

 _[to Seivarden]_ Begging your indulgence Sir –

_[Seivarden gestures that she has it]_

TISARWAT _[cont.]_

but I thought the same thing you did, so I asked Sphene about it.

SPHENE

Of course I regretted selling the tea set, but it was better than slowly losing my ancillaries until I died alone in the Ghost System. I knew – I knew Captain Minask wouldn’t have wanted that and it’s not like her tea set was doing her any good…

A few months after I sold it, I also received a message. It wasn’t coming through the Ghost Gate, it seemed to be coming from somewhere _in_ the system, though I couldn’t tell from where. It said, “ _What have you done with my dishes?_ ”

SEIVARDEN

Sphene, are you and the Translator in on this? Are you having a laugh?

TISARWAT

Sphene showed me its logs, Sir, as did Sword of Atagaris. They’re both telling the truth.

ZEIAT

 _[grinning more hugely than should be possible]_ Leiutenant, I hate to say I told you so –

INT: Fleet Captain Breq’s quarters in the Undergarden. Breq faces Tisarwat and Seivarden.

BREQ

No, I will _not_ allow fully half of my officers to go chasing ghost stories in another system.

TISARWAT

But Sir, if you’d just hear what Sphene said, and even Lieutenant Seivarden agrees…

BREQ

If Lieutenant Seivarden agreed you should walk of a cliff, would you do it Lieutenant?

SEIVARDEN

 _[muttered]_ _You_ did.

_[Breq glares at Seivarden]_

SEIVARDEN _[cont.]_

 _[at normal volume]_ Breq, the system is _stable_ , and anyway, Amaat One is nearly ready to take the officer’s exam…

BREQ

Lieutenant Seivarden, you are under no circumstances to leave this system do you understand?

SEIVARDEN

 _[grumpily]_ Sir.

BREQ

Leiutenant Tisarwat –

TISARWAT

Yes Sir, I understand.

BREQ

I haven’t finished Lieutenant. Translator Zeiat has personally requested that you accompany her to the Ghost System for “security reasons”. _[she rolls her eyes]_ In the interest of avoiding an incident with the Presger – which she not-so-subtly hinted may happen if she were to, what were her words, “become possessed by restless spirits” in my provisional republic – I am allowing you a week of leave from your duties here.

SEIVARDEN

Breq that’s not fair!

INT: Bridge of _GEM OF SPHENE_. The display shows gate space. CAPTAIN QUETER, two Sphene Ancillaries, Zeiat, and Tisarwat stand around the bridge.

SPHENE

Exiting gate space in twenty seconds, Captain.

QUETER

Thank you, Sphene.

ZEIAT

 _[flutters her hands in excitement]_ Lieutenant, are you excited to get to the bottom of this mystery?

TISARWAT

 _[she looks uncomfortable, maybe afraid]_ I’m just here for security, Translator.

ZEIAT

Oh Lieutenant, I thought you knew I was _[exaggerated whisper] lying_ about that.

QUETER

 _[smirking]_ Sphene is a _warship_ , what are you and a _Mercy of Kalr_ Bo going to add?

_[The display changes, showing the distant sun of the Ghost System]_

TISARWAT

I –

SPHENE

We have arrived in the Ghost System, Captain.

ZEIAT

Sphene, we need to get to where you heard that message.

INT: Bridge of Gem of Sphene, some time later. Tisarwat sits in a chair, drinking a bowl of tea. Zeiat paces before the display. A single Sphene Ancillary stands still and expressionless.

ZEIAT

Okay, send this Sphene:

To Whom It May Concern –

TISARWAT

 _[muffled]_ You don’t need to start like that every time.

ZEIAT

We are interested in reaching out to the Former Person or Persons who is-slash-are haunting this system, re: returning a stolen-then-broken-then-mended tea set please respond care-of Gem of Sphene. Best regards, Presger Translator Zeiat.

Postscript – I would also be interested in discussing ghost-hood with you.

SPHENE

Message transmitted, Translator. Although, I will remind you this is the tenth such message you have sent. I’m not sure that Ca- that anyone is going to respond at this point.

ZEIAT

You may be right, Sphene.

_[she chews meditatively on a finger of her glove]_

ZEIAT _[cont.]_

Okay! Leave a forwarding address, let’s try our next location.

INT: Officer’s mess onboard Gem of Sphene. Queter and Tisarwat sit at the table, eating greens and drinking tea.

QUETER

So Lieutenant, how _did_ you get the luck of coming on this mission?

TISARWAT

I was the one who told Zeiat about the ghosts – she didn’t understand what Ghost System _meant_ so I told her some of the stories and then I told her what Piat said, about Sword of Atagaris really seeing a ghost – or hearing it, I guess.

QUETER

HAH! Bet you didn’t expect her to believe it.

TISARWAT

I never have _any_ expectations with the Translator. I don’t even know if she _does_ believe it, or if she’s just playacting. Or if it even matters. No, _[she looks down at the table]_ what I didn’t expect was to believe it myself…

QUETER

 _[incredulous, delighted]_ What!?

TISARWAT

It’s stupid, I know…

QUETER

Then why are you so upset about coming along?

TISARWAT

 _[looking back up at Queter]_ Captain, I’m not upset. I’m terrified.

INT: Storage bay on Gem of Sphene. Zeiat talks with a Sphene Ancillary, while two more perform checks on an old supply locker.

ZEIAT

I know it’s been several days, but I’m hopeful that we will make contact before we have to return to Athoek System tomorrow.

SPHENE

And if we don’t?

ZEIAT

Well, I will have to do some research and try again. Are you up for another expedition with me, Sphene?

SPHENE

We’ll see, Translator.

_[In the background, one of the other ancillaries places a wooden chest in the supply locker]_

INT: Bridge of Gem of Sphene. The display shows the sun much closer than previously. Tisarwat, Zeiat, Queter and a Sphene Ancillary are gathered.

QUETER

 _[softly]_ Are you sure about this, Sphene?

SPHENE

Yes, Captain. This way nothing else can happen to it.

ZEIAT

 _[places a hand on Sphene’s shoulder, uncharacteristically calm]_ And maybe Captain Minask will find some peace.

SPHENE

 _[shrugging off Zeiat's hand]_ Or I will.

_[On the display, we see a supply locker being jettisoned from Gem of Sphene, on a decaying orbit into the sun]_

INT: Officer’s mess on board MERCY OF KALR. MEDIC and EKALU sit at the table, while ETREPA SIX makes tea.

EKALU

I still can’t believe Fleet Captain agreed to let Tisarwat go _ghost hunting_.

MEDIC

We both agreed it would do her some good to get away from all the bureaucracy for a bit… She may be a natural at it, but she’s still just a child.

EKALU

I suppose… I’m glad they’re back, though, Seivarden would not stop _complaining_ all week.

MEDIC

Trust me Lieutenant, I know. I think she’s messaged the whole ship about it at this point.

INT: Athoek Station docks. Seivarden stands waiting at an airlock. The indicator beside it turns green, and Tisarwat, Zeiat and Bo Nine step through.

SEIVARDEN

Welcome back.

_[it’s clear she’s trying to be cheery, though she looks vaguely pained.]_

SEIVARDEN _[cont.]_

Find any ghosts out there? Ha-ha. _[forced laughter]_

TISARWAT

 _[looking sick from the microgravity]_ No, Sir, if you’ll excuse me…

_[she hurries off, followed by Bo Nine]_

ZEIAT

We did not, Lieutenant, but I have faith! I just need to do a bit more research, and then I can get back out there. I’m not sure Sphene is keen to go back so soon, but doubtless another ship can take me…

SEIVARDEN

 _[interest piqued, trying not to show it]_ Oh, that’s a shame Translator.

ZEIAT

I must say, I was disappointed in Lieutenant Tisarwat, after all her investigative work here, she barely tried to contact the Ghost System ghost.

SEIVARDEN

Well, you know children. The flit from interest to interest faster than a trout up stream.

ZEIAT

Speaking of which, I could really do with a meal…

SEIVARDEN

With your indulgence, Translator, I’d love to join you. You can tell me more about your trip, and I’d be happy to assist you with your next expedition.

_[They walk together down the corridor, away from the docks as we FADE OUT]_


End file.
